Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-09-28

GOOl. IuC lCllCl hluol oAihBy D.
the date of our capture, and state that th'
document is signed by a man well known
to me, perfectly trustworthy, although
now in Jail on a charge of smuggling"
Copas hasteDed away with the papers.
''They ought TO let US go at once, with
out trial" said Will, the sanguine. sit
down and look cheerful, Pleasance. Why,
we can make love as well in a prison WARD
as under Pinhay cliff. Let me wipe the
tears from your pretty eyes, peerless wood
land nymphw
We had a fortnight to wait for the an,
swer. No answer came from the admiral
mol any sign that we were all to be freed
without a trial. Meantime. Codas en-
gagged the best counsel on the suit-no less
q man than the great Sergt. Jamolln
kings COUNSELLOR u side. As for
Joshua Mech he did not once come
to see us-an act Of prudence which,
while Dan commended it, was sur
prising to him. To be sure, as
Dan said, it was only by chance that be
wasn't caught with the rest. And when
l told him of the single step l had heard
before the revenue men came down the
hill. he surmised that it was Joshua, and
OWNED the secret of the empty hold
Who but Joshua could have cleared out
the cargo in so expeditions and crafty a
manner? Who but Joshua knew the
caches in the cliff? Who but joshua
would have been so thoughtful OF the In
terests of the firm?
The court on the day of the trial was
crowded with spectators, principally peo-
pie from Lyme and Bridport who knew
Dan CULVER. / listened with dismay to
their talk, for it was nothing but specula-
ton as to what the punishment should be.
l came with Mr.. COpas, provided me
with a seat below the DOCK so that l could
shake hands with the prisoners.
Presently our man, our advocate, the
great Sergt. Jamblin, K. c., afterward Sir
Peter Jamblin, one of his maieSty's judges,
came into court. He was followed by a
clerk bearing a blue bag full of papers. l
noticed that he nodded but did not shake
hands with Mr.. Copas. Yet he shook
hands with every member of the bar in the
court. | believe that in those days it was
not considered right for a barrister to
shake hands with an attorney.
Presently he left the table and came to
me.
81 have heard of you, Miss Noel" he
said. "Pray let me shake hands with you.
Mr.. COpas has told me the whole history.
am only sorry that your gallant attempt
to warn Dan CULVER did not succeed. l
am not sure, but l am in great hopes that
we shall get them off altogether-one and
all, you know; they were in the same
boat. But if we cannot then | may tell
you that a little bird has whispered good
news in muy ear. A lord, high placed, has
interested himself in the case. Courage,
my dear young lady"
This was very kind of the sergeant. He
was not, to look at, a mar from whom
such things were to be expected, for he
had a harsh and strident voice, full pro-
iecting lips and staring eyes. Also, he
had very red cheeks, and a way Of push
ing back his wig which showed that he
was already bald. But wien years after
ward | heard people talk OF the harsh and
overbearing way of Judge Jambln, | re-
m%embered that he had once taken pity on
a poor girl in grievOus trouble, and said
words of comfort 10 her.
Then there was a blare of trumpets, and
presently the whole court rose to greet the
Judge.
Now | firmly believe that if we had had
any other Judge in all England to try the
case, or if this particular Judge had not
been attacked the day before with govt in
his great toe, so signal was the service rem,
dered by Dan to the government that we
should have all got of with a free pardon.
But the day was uulucky. Our judge,
never the most kindly of men, was in a
bad humOr that morning. His face was
pale, austere and gloomy. His eyes had a
fishy stare in them, which was due to his
thinking more of his great toe than of the
arguments going on before him. He was
very old; he had been a Judge many years;
he had sentenced so many people to death,
to transportation, to Imprisonment that he
had got to regard crime rs q sort of dis
ease, and himself rs a doctor who admins
tered q remedy or declared the case hope,
less.
He seated himself, aud the p%reliminaries
began.
The jury were all Dorchester men; no
man of Lyme would have brought q YER
diet against Dan. As for the prisoners,
Dan came first. He leaned over the bars
of the dock to kiss me when he took his
place. Nobody could have looked more
innocent than he with his steadfast eyes,
his gray locks and his calm face. job and
Jephthah, who followed, stood staring
straight before them as if the court had
nothing whatever TO do with them; as il
it were not there at all, in fact. Will
came last. He passed his hand over the
dock to press mine, and smiled in his old
way: but he was flushed and his Lip
trembled as he stood before them all, a
gentleman in the guise of a common sailor,
about to be tried for breaking the laws OF
his country.
Then the counsel for the prosecution
rose and opened the case. He began by
saying that the jury had before them q
gang of notorious and hitherto unpublished
smugglers-men who lived by defying the
laws of the land. He congratulated the
court on being able at last to bring these
men to Justice. He should prOve-and here
set forth the whole facts, during which
Sergt Jamblin leaned back and occasionally
whispered to one ofthe junior counsel with
a deprecatOry smile.
When the counsel for the prosecution
had finished he called his witnesses.
Lieut.. Pollard was the first. From infor
nation received, he stationed himself will
q company of sixteen men in ROusdon bay
at midnight on Thursday, Oct. %. AbCu
4 o'clock in the morning the Dancing Polly
rounded the point and stood in for the creek
At the moment OF landing he effected tn,
arrect.
This was all substantially that he haC
to say. Then the sergeant rose and b,
began to tear him to pieces.
Where did you get your information
Lieut.. Pollard ?"
That, with his lordship's permission,
decline to state"
The court ruled that the question neet
! not be asked.
81 was only anxious, my lord" said thu
2 sergeant smiling sweetly, "for the witness
: own sake to prove that a British officer i
: incapable of employing any of these DIES
picable persons who live by betraying tn
sins or follies of their fellow men,"
Here the gallant officer Redeemed anC
/ looked uncomfortable.
1--WE will go on" said the sergeant
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